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In the beginning, God created…
Genesis 1:1

It starts with a blank canvas.

The artist selects the paint colors she is going to work with today. She picks up the brush and, with careful consideration, begins to place the paint on the canvas.

It may look random, like there’s no reason behind it, but that is just an illusion. The artist has a vision in her head, an idea of what the canvas will look like when complete. It’s a picture only she can see at this moment, but it is real all the same.

She refines some areas and reworks others. There are times when she stands back and just looks at the canvas. She is thinking about what needs to be done to create the vision in her head. She may even walk away for a couple of days and let the painting rest. But all the while, she is thinking about it and planning what she can do to make it even better. The canvas may look done to you but only the artist can declare it finished.

When the piece matches the vision in her head, she stops.

The artist looks at her work with pride, with love even. There is so much of her on that canvas. Her emotions, her thoughts, her dreams. They all come out in the artwork.

She may keep the piece for herself. The artist may decide that the piece belongs with someone else.

Others aren’t always going to appreciate or even like the work she creates and that’s okay. She doesn’t create the art to please others. She creates for her own pleasure. You may not see the beauty in her creation, but she does. She sees it because she created it.

She loves it because the art is a reflection of her.

For many reasons, I have struggled with insecurity for a long time. I’ve had trouble truly understanding the beauty in me simply because I am a Daughter of the King. Since being widowed, those insecurities have come out even more. I have spent time seeking and asking God to help me understand my worth in His eyes. I begged Him to let me see the beauty He does.

It was through art that God chose to show me the answers to my questions.

I am an artist. Painting and creating makes me happy. I find such joy in choosing a palette, researching inspiration, sketching out designs. Every piece I make has a bit of me in it.

God opened my eyes to show me that I am His artwork.

He loves me because He created me. He took the time to plan out every detail of what makes up Rene. There was no randomness to it. He has a vision in His mind of what I am to look like and He purposely creates to make me into that vision.

I am treasured simply because I am His creation.

I know how hard it is to be in this season of widowhood. I understand how lonely it can be at times. The person we shared life with is no longer here. For some of you, friends and family may have pulled away for reasons that you don’t understand. It’s easy to feel unloved, ugly or just a hot mess.

But that is far from the truth. Just as the artist sees the beauty in her work when no else can, God sees the beauty in His creation.

He created my inmost being; He knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). He knows all that has gone into making you who we are, just as the artist knows every brushstroke on her painting.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). A smile comes across His face when He looks as you.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them (Genesis 1:27).

The painting is a reflection of the artist and you are a reflection of the ultimate Creator.

May I suggest you take time to read the beginning of this post again? This time think of yourself as the canvas and God as the artist. See in it just how precious you are to God.

Father, help us to see the beauty we have as Your creation, to see what a gorgeous work of art You created us to be. We are loved in a way no other can. Amen